The celebrations kicked off with a ceilidh on the Friday night, around 170 sailors, friends and family shoogled their stuff and got everyone in the mood for a great weekend of sailing.

Saturday dawned and the club got into gear for the regatta. The club were delighted to see sailors come for other Forth sailing clubs, such as Cramond and Kinghorn, and local unaffiliated sailors, competitive but friendly sailing was guaranteed.   A fleet of around 25 boats, yachts and dinghies assembled just off the harbour wall, jostling for position in the light winds, awaiting the start of the racing.

The yacht races took them on a gentle sail out past Portobello, over to Inchkeith Island and then down to the mouth of the Esk and back past the harbour.   In the flukey and changing winds great skill was required to get the best from the yacht rigs and the lead changed many times as different boats benefited in the changing conditions.  Once the handicaps were taken into account a close finish resulted.

The dinghy races, as usual, took place just off the beaches at Musselburgh.  As with the yacht races the light winds meant the dinghy fleet required care and control to keep the boats moving quickly through the water.  The races were very competitive, with close races within and between the dinghy classes, Laser and Solo’s being best represented.
With help form many of the club member’s families the sailors returned to the clubhouse and were welcomed with good food and a few beers, well into the night.

Sunday brought very different conditions and a number of extra boats, a good wind had arrived, and before the start the yachts and dinghy’s put on a great display outside the harbour wall as they fought for good start positions.   In the improved conditions the yachts sped off towards Portobello and battled their way around the bay for the next couple of hours.  The dinghies again set up a course around the harbour and beachfront area and in the freshening conditions the safety boat was kept busy ensuring the sailors recovered from the many capsizes. Very tight and competitive racing resulted in these great sailing conditions and a great time was had by all, including the many people admiring the spectacle from Musselburgh promenade.  A number of the clubs younger members also took to the water practising their skills close to the beach in preparation for taking part in future regattas.

A brilliant time was had by all who took part and hopefully this successful regatta can be a stepping stone in the resurgence of this friendly and informal local sailing club.

John McManus,
Committee Member

Dinghy Results

For individual race results click here